The Alphabetical Love Enumeration
by marcelb
Summary: Leonard's motor functions are coming and going and is in the hospital often. Penny has a lot of time remembering their lives together as she has to wait helplessly for the doctors to figure out what's wrong. Future fic, focusing on memories of our favorite couple.
1. A is for Adoration

**Got stuck with chapter 9 of The Separation Effect, and decided to write something else. A few years ago, I read a Friends fanfic called A B C's of Love (I think the writer stopped halfway through the alphabet), and decided to apply the same premise to Lenny. Basically, this story will be a collection of remembered moments by Penny, from the moment they met, all the way until the future. There's an overall story, but that's just to tie everything together.**

**Each chapter is based on a single word starting with a specific letter of the alphabet. If you have any suggestions for words, PM me. This story will be updated irregularly, depending on mood and how well the other story is going :)**

* * *

**A is for Adoration**

"Mrs. Hofstadter," Kim, the head nurse said, gently touching Penny's shoulder. "Your husband is still away for his tests and scans. He should arrive in another ten minutes or so."

Penny nodded. "Thanks, Kim. And please, call me Penny." She pointed at the room. "I'll just wait in his room, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, no problem, Mrs…. Penny."

Penny walked into the hospital room and sat down in the chair. She let out a frustrated sigh. She had lost count of how many tests and scans they had performed on Leonard, and still they hadn't found the cause of the sudden deterioration of his health.

It had all started a few months ago, when Leonard had been unable to get out of bed for nearly an hour, simply because his legs refused to move or carry his weight. Ever since, every now and then some of his motor functions would be lost, only to return some time later.

Well, they had until a week ago. He still couldn't move his left arm, though luckily all other motor functions were still as normal as to be expected for someone who was only a month away from turning sixty.

Penny had been spending most of her time at the hospital, simply needing to be around him as much as possible. Though her acting career had been successful, eventually, she had turned her back on it after only six years being in the limelight, a little over a year after the birth of their third child, their son Richard.

She had never regretted the decision to end her career. It hadn't been as fulfilling as she had initially thought it would be. Not only did it involve long days, there was also a large amount of promotional interviews that she had to do. Combined with the paparazzi always on the lookout for that one faux pas, it had been a rather easy decision.

Only a few months before all this started, Leonard and her had been looking forward to finally be able to be just together, do all kinds of things they'd never had the time for because of the children and work. With Leonard's hours being cut back considerably, and their three children out on their own, the time was just right.

And then that fateful morning screwed up all their dreams and plans. The months since then had been full of doctor visits, tests and scans. Penny had spent many hours waiting in waiting rooms for her husband to come back. It had given her a lot of time to remember their lives, even from before they became a couple the first time. There'd been so many wonderful moments, ranging from their first meeting when she moved in, all the way to the present time.

* * *

Penny leaned with her shoulder against the door frame, watching Leonard taking care of their week-old daughter, Cassandra. He was changing her diaper, talking softly to her.

"I've never told your mommy, but the day I met her, I told your uncle Sheldon that our babies would be smart and beautiful. And you know what? You are so much more beautiful than I thought you would be."

Penny smiled at his confession. Of course she'd suspected Leonard had fallen for her that first day, but to hear him admit it to their daughter made her feel butterflies in her stomach.

"And the best part is, you're not imaginary, like your uncle Sheldon said you would be."

Penny managed to keep her laughter in. It sounded like a typical Sheldon response.

"And I'm sure you're going to be smart. Book smart like me, street smart like mommy. But no matter what, mommy and I will always love and support you." He picked up their daughter. "Alright, Cassie, I got the dirty diaper off and replaced it with a clean one. So, the only thing I can think of that would explain why you're still fussy, is that you need some sustenance."

"Good thing I got up then," Penny said, finally letting her presence known. She pushed away from the door frame and walked over to her two favorite persons in the whole world.

"Oh, hey," Leonard said, grinning at her. "I didn't want to wake you up in case it was just a wet bum."

She smiled back at him, as she took her daughter in her arms. "I appreciate it, Leonard, but it seems like she needs something from her mommy." She walked over to the comfortable chair and sat down. Cassie latched on quickly and Penny stared at her daughter, feeling a surge of love for the little girl in her arms.

"Aw, this is just so adorable."

Penny glanced up briefly, smiling a watery smile. "No, watching you take care of Cassie, that was adorable."

"Aw… wait, how long were you standing there?"

Penny smiled at him, but didn't answer him verbally, certain he understood she knew. "I love you Leonard Hofstadter."

"I love you, too."


	2. B is for Belonging

**Thank you for the kind reviews. Yes, the overall story isn't happy, but most of the memories are. Like I mentioned last time, I started this because I got stuck with The Separation Effect. Since it helped me complete chapter 9, and I got stuck again with chapter 10, I figured I needed another distraction. So, today's story is brought to you by the letter B. I'm still open to word suggestions. Just PM me.**

* * *

**B is for Belonging**

Penny sat in her dressing room, removing the make-up and let out a sigh. She didn't exactly hate these promotional interviews, but they definitely weren't the highlights of being a moderately successful actress. The worst thing was that it kept her away from her friends and her fiancé.

Her fiancé. Involuntarily a smile formed at the thought of Leonard, and that they were now engaged to be married. Despite his promise to wait for her to propose, he had asked her again, just a few weeks ago.

This time, his proposal hadn't been spur of the moment, in the heat of passion. It had been a deliberate, well thought out proposal that had caught her by surprise and swept her off her feet.

She hadn't felt scared at all; she'd felt special and happy. There had been no hesitation when she answered 'yes'. Truth be told, she had actually been thinking about how to propose to _him_, having felt ready for some time already.

Four months before they had moved in together. Leonard had gotten the tenured position, after being away on the North Sea expedition and with the tenured position came a substantial raise. He'd bought his own place soon after. She'd been spending most nights with him and after just a few weeks she found most of her clothes and things were at his place.

When she came to that realization, she told the building manager she'd be moving out, knowing Leonard wouldn't mind in the least that she'd move in with him, even if she hadn't asked him. She never really asked, and hadn't even told him she'd given up her apartment.

It wasn't until he'd gone over to Sheldon's a few weeks later for Halo night, and had seen someone else exiting apartment 4B, just as he'd left Sheldon's place. When he came back home he had hugged her and asked if she was sure.

She'd told him she hadn't regretted the decision in the least during the weeks since she had given up her apartment. He had grinned at her, asking her when she had planned on telling him, to which she had replied she assumed he would've figured it out sooner or later. He'd then asked her when she had decided, and she'd explained how she had found most of her things had been in his house and she'd stayed there from the first day he had moved in there.

"Sweetie, it's where I belong," she'd said when he asked again if she was sure. "With you."

Putting on her regular clothes, Penny laughed to herself softly as she suddenly realized she'd basically told him then that she was ready for commitment. Leonard had obviously been waiting for a sign like that to pop the question, this time properly.

She fingered the engagement ring, smiling again softly whispering, "I belong with you, Leonard Hofstadter. Forever."

* * *

"Hey, Mom."

Penny looked up at the sound of her daughter's whisper, as she entered Leonard's hospital room. "Hi Sweetie." She got up to hug Cassie and her husband. Next she crouched down to be eye level with her three year old grandson. "Hi, Shelly-bean."

"Mo-om," Cassie said. "I asked you not to call him that."

Penny looked at her daughter with a smirk. "Want me to call him Moonpie?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I really shouldn't have named him after uncle Sheldon." She glanced toward the bed. "Any news about Daddy?"

Penny got up, placing a hand on the side of the bed to help her get up more easily. "No, the test results will come tomorrow at the earliest. They gave him some medicine to help him sleep because, apparently, he hasn't been able to sleep for a few nights."

"How are you holding up, Mom?"

Penny smiled. "I'm okay, Cassie. Obviously worried, but okay. And yes, I am able to sleep." But it was harder, she silently admitted. She missed having Leonard right next to her. not being able to snuggle up to him, spoon with him, or fall asleep in his arms. She missed him, missed those moments, and was terrified he'd be taken away from her.

She suddenly found herself being hugged by her daughter. "It's okay, Mom. He'll be okay, you'll see."

Penny let out the tears she'd been keeping inside for so many days. When the tears subsided, she glanced toward Leonard. 'You belong with me, Leonard,' she thought at him. 'Don't you dare leave me.'


	3. C is for Commiting

**Holy cow, Batman! Two stories on the same day! Uhm, so, yeah. Two. This just came to me and I simply _had_ to write it and publish it. As a bonus, it introduces the Hofstadter middle child, daughter Bridget. Enjoy! (I'm sure I don't need to say this, as you all know, but I still do not own anything related to TBBT, nor do I make any money with this.)**

* * *

**C is for Commiting**

Penny woke with a start when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Despite being woken unexpectedly, her first instinct was to check if Leonard was awake and okay. He was looking at her with what she knew was meant to be a smirk, but due to his grogginess, wasn't more than a smile.

Next she looked up to find out who had awoken her, a smile forming when she saw her middle child and second daughter Bridget standing next to her, a worried frown directed at her. "Hey, Sweetie," Penny finally said. "I guess I just dozed of."

"Mom, have you been sleeping well lately?"

Penny refrained from rolling her eyes, having heard the question on numerous occasions the last couple of days, but touched by everybody's concern for her. "Yes, I have, honestly. I guess all the waiting just makes me drowsy."

Bridget seemed to accept her explanation and went over to give Leonard a hug. "Hi, Daddy. How are you?"

"Not too bad," He answered. "Just very groggy and tired. But look." He moved his left arm, the one that he'd been unable to move for a few weeks. "Motor functions seem to have returned."

"That is great, Daddy." Bridget grabbed the second chair and moved it close to Penny, before sitting down.

"And how's my baby girl doing," Leonard then asked.

Bridget shrugged. "Not bad, I guess. Finished the shoot yesterday. And next week I have to defend my dissertation."

Penny smiled. Bridget had turned out to be the textbook example of the smart and beautiful baby Leonard had envisioned the day he had met her. Besides being a very successful model, she had already earned a PhD. in physics, a masters in engineering, and was currently on track to get her PhD. in astrophysics.

Their friends were betting which field she would choose next: microbiology or neurobiology. They often joked about Bridget trying to be all of them, but Leonard and Penny knew Bridget had only studied those fields because she was interested in them. They also knew Bridget didn't plan on choosing another field of study, but was hoping to find a job where she could use one of her interests.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Leonard said, sounding more and more tired. "How's Chris?"

Penny winced at the question, already having heard the relationship had become a bit rocky.

Bridget just sighed. "I don't know, good, I guess." She stared blankly at the wall for a little. "It's kinda weird, I guess."

Penny glanced at Leonard, and could tell he had fallen asleep. "Okay, Sweetie, tell me what happened."

Bridget smiled when she noticed her dad fallen asleep. "He told me he loved me."

Penny nodded in understanding. It seemed like her fear of commitment had been passed on to her youngest daughter. "You're afraid to say it back, aren't you?"

Bridget shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I do have very strong feelings for him, it's just… I don't know."

Penny placed her hand on her daughter's arm. "Did you ever hear about when your daddy and I split up?"

Bridget shook her head, and frowned at her. "I didn't even know you guys had ever split up. You two are so in love with each other, even to this day. I can't imagine those feelings ever disappeared."

Penny smiled and shook her head. "No, the feelings didn't disappear. But when your dad told me he loved me the first time, all I could answer was 'thank you.'"

Bridget chuckled. "Guess what my answer was to Chris."

Penny chuckled too. "You and I are so alike, it's almost scary."

Bridget glanced at Leonard. "Did daddy break up with you because you didn't say it back?"

"Oh, no. Daddy's not like that, and you know it. I'm pretty sure Chris isn't like that either. The reason we broke up was I had taken advice from an asshole."

Penny turned back to look at Leonard. "It hurt so much, for the both of us. I knew I'd made a mistake, but I was too scared to fix it, too scared to tell him I _did_ love him. Because I did. It took two years before we got back together again."

"So, what you're saying is, I should just tell Chris I love him?"

Penny turned back to her daugher and shook her head. "No, I'm saying you shouldn't take advice from anyone. You are the only one who knows what you feel and what you're comfortable with expressing." She sighed. "I'm sorry you inherited this fear of commitment from me."

Bridget smiled. "I don't think it's hereditary, Mom. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. I got that from Daddy."

"And me," Penny said. "And that's probably not hereditary, either."

Bridget sighed. "I do love Chris, I know I do. It's just scary to tell him, even though I can't quite explain _why_ that's so scary."

"I know, I've never been able to explain it to myself, let alone to someone else."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Bridget stood up. "I'll come back later, when the meds have worn of."

Penny stood up as well to hug her daughter. "Alright, Sweetie. I love you."

"Thank you," Bridget answered, with a grin that reminded Penny so much of Leonard. "Just kidding, I love you to."

"Good luck with your dissertation next week and with Chris."

"Thanks. I'll be fine, Mom. I'm just going to tell Chris I'm not ready to say the words. I think he'll understand. I hope he will."

Penny accepted another hug and watched her youngest daughter walk away, shaking her head slightly. She sat back down and placed her hand on top of Leonard's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I love you."


	4. D is for Desirable

**Since this story keeps going back and forth through the lives of Leonard, Penny and their family, I probably should give an indication of what time period. This story consists of two parts. The first part is in (the story's) present time, the second around Penny's 40th. Another thing about the second part: it's my first attempt at some smut; if you don't like that sort of thing, it really doesn't add much to the story, so feel free to skip it. If you do like that sort of thing, I hope you'll find my attempt worthy.**

**I don't intent to write more M-rated things, so I'll keep the story at it's current rating. Hmm, maybe there needs to be an Alphabetical Coitus/Lust Enumeration. Don't think I could write 26 of these, though.**

**As always: don't own a damn thing, don't make any money with this.**

* * *

**D is for Desirable**

Penny snuggled in close to Leonard, glad that after weeks of not having him next to her in the bed, she could finally fall asleep the way she had gotten used to over the many years they'd been together.

He had been released from the hospital late this morning, even though they still hadn't figured out what exactly was wrong with him. It scared her immensely, having figured out that loss of motor functions could lead to loss of autonomous motor functions. But she didn't want to think about it, not now. She wanted to just lay here next to him, enjoying being able to feel him again, to hear his heartbeat.

"I missed this," Leonard said, pulling her even closer, impossible as that had seemed.

Penny looked up at his face and smiled. "Yeah, me too."

He grinned. "And I definitely missed the activities that preceded this."

Penny giggled. "Again, me too." She looked up and kissed him. "I love you, Leonard. So much."

"I love you, too. Always have and always will."

They held each other and Penny smiled when ten minutes later Leonard started to snore softly. Though he was still holding her, he wasn't exerting any force, his arms were just slackly wrapped around her.

It reminded her of many nights during their relationship, even from the early days when she couldn't even admit to loving him. But the cuddling just before falling asleep had been a constant, and welcome part of the relationship she had with Leonard. It was something she hadn't experienced in any of her other relationships.

She smiled at the memory of earlier tonight, as she had helped him shower. As she had undressed the both of them, he had reacted to the sight of her, standing in front of him completely nude. As a result, the shower had been postponed for some time, as a celebration of being together again.

In the past she had been insecure about still being attractive to him, especially during her pregnancies, and again as she became older. At some point she had seriously contemplated spending her earnings from several acting jobs on a nip and tuck, and maybe even a breast enlargement.

Leonard had insisted she didn't need to change a thing, that she was still as desirable to him as the day they met. When she had confronted him about how he had enjoyed that her breasts were bigger during and just after being pregnant, he had countered that, yes, he loved her bigger breasts, but that he had no desire to sleep with a woman made out of plastic.

Every time she had brought up the subject, he had assured her he still found her the most attractive woman on the planet. And he really showed that every time they were together, his desire for her evident in the way he would look at her or during their passionate and frequent lovemaking.

After a while, she didn't even think about it anymore, having accepted the fact that, yes, she was getting older and changing, but Leonard really didn't mind. She was actually glad now that she hadn't changed anything. And she had no doubts about her desirability to Leonard.

* * *

Penny decided not to put on anything, instead walking in the direction of Leonard's home office. For the past two years, Leonard had taken to do most of his paper work at home, allowing him to work here for two or three days a week.

With all their children at school for most of the day, it allowed for some 'afternoon delight', without being interrupted. More importantly, Penny didn't need to work at keeping quiet, which somehow always took away a little from their experience.

She was disappointed when she noticed his office door was closed; it was their signal that Leonard really couldn't be disturbed, a signal that had only been used once during the last two years.

Penny turned and walked into her own office, directly across from his. She didn't really use it much for work these days, but it had a very comfortable sofa and allowed her to keep an eye on his door.

Penny smiled at the thought of her husband, working on the other side of the door just across the hallway. She wondered what he was wearing. Usually he was dressed in pants and a shirt, but there had been a few occasions when he had just wore his boxers and glasses. Her hand moved down between her legs, and she was slightly surprised to already find some wetness there.

She tried to mentally let Leonard know she was ready for him, needing him and sighed after a minute when the door didn't open. She began picturing Leonard again, rubbing herself as she did so. He had taken up on going to the gym frequently, which resulted in more defined muscles. Not as bulky as some of the men she had dated before him, but he had definitely bulked up.

With the muscles had come better stamina and confidence, both very welcome as far as Penny was concerned. She paused her actions as she heard a noise coming from the door. Looking over, she saw him standing there, a wide grin on his face.

Penny let her eyes travel over his bare chest and boxers, the latter showing clear signs of which part currently had dibs on the blood supply. "Hi," she said, and giggled at the breathless way it came out. She pouted. "Your door was closed."

He had walked over. "Yeah, sorry. That wasn't my intention." His eyes traveled over her body and rested where her hand was still lightly rubbing, his eyebrows raised. "You don't seem to need me, though."

Penny removed her hand and grinned. "Well, you didn't seem to be available. A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do." In a swift motion she removed his boxers, fixing the clothing discrepancy that had bothered her the moment she'd seen him. She patted the place on the sofa where her head had just been. "Why don't you sit down."

Penny's eyes remained on his hard member as Leonard moved to do as she had asked. Once he was seated beside her, she bent down to take him into her mouth, moving her head up and down slowly, sucking lightly. After a minute she released him from her mouth to gently kiss the tip of the head, before slowly moving her tongue along his length.

She then moved up his body, placing light kisses from his abdomen to his chest, and further up to his neck. By the time she got to his neck, his hands were roaming across her body, gently squeezing her breasts and after a little flick with his thumbs across her hard nipples, his hands went down her sides, making her shudder in delight.

His hands moved further down the outside of her thighs, before moving up and squeezing her butt. Her mouth crushed his in a searing kiss, full of passion and desire. She felt his erection as it was trapped between her groin and his, making the heat inside her rise to an almost unbearable height.

Without breaking the kiss, she moved just far enough she could feel the tip of him gliding along her swollen, wet folds. He bucked his hips, in an attempt to enter, but Penny moved along with him, denying him entrance for just a little longer.

They both knew her teasing would be short, her own need overriding her will to tease. Leonard was the teaser out of the two of them, often to immense frustration to Penny, but today Leonard didn't seem interested in the least in delaying anything.

Penny let herself drop down when she felt the tip right in front of her entrance, causing both of them to moan loudly. Penny had released his mouth, in favor or letting her head fall back in pleasure. "Oh, God, Leonard." She wanted to say more, tell him how he made her feel, how much she loved him, but she couldn't get the words out.

She yelped in surprise when Leonard flipped them over, but she recovered quickly and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Oh, fu, uhhn, fuck." She felt herself nearing her climax way too soon and she fought to postpone it a little longer.

"uhn, Leon- uhn- Leonard, I'm, ah, I'm almost, oh God yes. Almost there." She was panting heavily, her eyes closed in pleasure as much as to delay her climax, but she opened them. Leonard was hovering over her, a grin on his face.

"Go for it, honey."

She came right at that moment, unable to postpone it. When her brain began to work again, she could feel Leonard was still inside her, still hard. He hadn't come yet, but had paused while she rode her waves of ecstasy. "My turn," she said, still out of breath. She tried to get up, intent to ride him, but he held her in place.

"Just stay like this."

Penny nodded and felt him begin a slow pace. She closed her eyes when his pace increased, her own pleasure rising.

"Penny, please look at me."

She opened her eyes again, granting him his wish. The look of pure love, adoration, and desire almost took her breath away. She felt her climax nearing yet again, but she could tell that Leonard was also getting close. "Oh, God, Leonard."

"I'll be there with you."

True to his word, he came only a second after her, before collapsing on top of her. They were both panting but neither felt the need to say anything.

After a minute, Leonard moved off of her, helping her into a sitting position.

Penny smiled. "Well, that was fun." She kissed him and let out a sigh. "I really enjoy these afternoon delights."

Leonard chuckled. "Yeah, me too. But I don't think this one counts. It's not even eleven yet."

"Ooh, encore," Penny replied, before kissing him again.

"I love you, Penny."

Penny smiled. "And I love you."


End file.
